2020 Taylor Scholars Program

Reflections on the Taylor Scholar Program

Five years ago, St Andrew’s College began challenging the idea that ‘college is a three-year experience’. This idea, like many ‘traditions’, is relatively young; there was a time when most Senior Students did not take office until their fourth or fifth years in residence (which remains the case in many Australian colleges today). So where did the idea come from, and isn’t three years enough?

The idea presumably emerged from the feeling that three years is enough; there are only so many nights one can spend in the Highlander Bar, and even fewer nights one can participate in a Victory Dinner (especially if an honours year is looming). Perhaps another contributing factor was that the privilege of residing at College is expensive; it costs far more to provide and therefore access collegiate education than university accommodation.

Challenging the ‘three years and out’ paradigm therefore entailed two things: expanding the scope of new opportunities available to fourth- and fifth-year students, and ensuring that continued College membership is financially achievable. It is these purposes that have been fulfilled so aptly by the Taylor Scholars Program over the last five years.

The Program, which was personally funded by Chair of Council Charlie Taylor, provides scholarships that make it financially viable for students to stay at College while also supporting them to pursue projects that enrich the community. From fitness classes to academic engagement initiatives, the projects (not to mention presence) of Taylor Scholars have enriched the lives of hundreds of College residents.

This year’s Taylor Scholars have made particularly important contributions to (online) collegiate life. Each scholar was required to adapt their projects – devised at the end of 2019 with the physical world in mind – to the online environment. Their quick thinking and resourcefulness has borne much fruit: an investment club, an expedition society, a new jazz band mentoring project, a new choir ensemble, instrumentlearning workshops, an elite athlete mentoring program, an Indigenous student mentoring program, fitness classes and a lead student representative for the Pre-Tertiary Mentoring & Tutoring Program. All 2020 Taylor Scholar projects are now running online and benefiting hundreds of members of the Andrew’s community. Given that the Program is responsible for tens of communityenriching projects and financially supported many students to remain at College, it is easy to classify it as a success. But there are even more far-reaching consequences worth noting: a new way of thinking about ‘life after third year’. Before the Program was introduced, you could count the College’s fourth- and fifth-year students on one hand (and some years you would not have needed any fingers to record a precise figure). But almost five years on, there is a substantial community of extraordinarily engaged and well-respected senior students contributing to collegiate life on a daily basis, in part because they know how much the College (from Freshers to the Chair of Council) values their presence.

In 2020, 25 individuals (17 residential and 8 non-residential) decided to remain as College students beyond their third year, including Rawson stars (one of whom scored a particularly impressive century in the cricket earlier this year), virtuoso musicians (who continue to enrich the College ensembles) and some of the College’s finest tutors. There are even two former Taylor Scholars on staff at present.

This paradigm shift and corresponding growth in senior students does not mean that most students will one day reside in College for the entire duration of their degrees (as was once customary); for many students, three years will remain enough. But thankfully, steps taken by the College – Chair of Council Charlie Taylor especially – mean that the option is now on the table; and for many, that option is very attractive.

Will Cesta

Director (Education & Student Life)

2020 Taylor Scholar Projects

Investment Club Zac Whitehead (Fr 2016) & Tom Dowse (Fr 2016)

Zac and Tom, are for the second year now, continuing to run a platform dedicated to exchanging knowledge about investment. The program teaches participants about the risks and potential rewards associated with investing, and receives support from alumni with expertise in the area.

Jazz Band Mentoring Ben Herlihy (Fr 2017)

Though the College campus is closed, the Jazz Band continues to rehearse and jam online under the leadership of Jim Osborne, who will be mentored by Ben . Band members will run online workshops and tutorials. They will also be making online recordings.

Learn an Instrument Nicky Craze (Fr 2016)

Nicky is facilitating a program designed to get non-musicians or amateur musicians to learn an instrument during the COVID-19 pandemic. He hopes to unite the community by providing a fun common goal - learning, or perhaps relearning instruments.

Recruitment & Training for the Pre-Tertiary Studies Program Lachie Barrett (Fr 2017)

The Pre-Tertiary Studies Program is a leadership initiative that involves current St Andrew's College students mentoring and tutoring high school students. Lachie is working to identify and train students interested in participating in this program.

Drews Elite Athlete Program Wallis Russell (Fr 2018)

As an elite rower and student, Wallis has undertaken a project intended to help elite athletes navigate the challenges of COVID-19 (which entails redeveloping their academic and sporting goals). The program is currently running through Facebook Messenger. Indigenous Mentoring Program Rohan Browning (Fr 2016)

St Andrew's College is committed to helping Indigenous scholars reach their potential. Rohan has devised a project that aims to improve awareness around what the College can offer Indigenous students and help Indigenous students procure the financial support they need to come to College.

Drews Fitness Jack Richards (Fr 2017) & Hugo Mactier (Fr 2017)

Jack and Hugo are running online fitness classes that students can complete at home with minimal equipment. They have already posted numerous workouts via Facebook Live and aim to help everyone stay fit and healthy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Big Choir Lily Harper (Fr 2017)

Like the Jazz Band, the 'Big Choir' (as distinct from the College Chamber Choir) will continue to rehearse and learn music coordinated by Lily, though this is occurring in an online setting throughout the closure of the St Andrew's College campus.

Expedition Society Tom Hunt (Fr 2017)

The Expedition Society was formed to provide students with the opportunity to undertake challenging outdoor activities. Though the society is somewhat limited by the present circumstances, Tom and participants have been brainstorming ideas and planning group activities to be executed when restrictions lift.

Performance Workshops Sam Vail (Fr 2017)

Performance workshops are short performance sessions in which musicians play excerpts for each other and share feedback. Sam is facilitating online performance workshops via Zoom and providing a musical discussion platform designed to help musicians refine their skills.

Academic Report

St Andrew’s College students attend a mix of Sydney’s best universities, including the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Technology, Sydney. We celebrate and appreciate this diversity of institution, degree and subject area for our students. We believe it’s vital that students receive a wellrounded tertiary education within a collegial environment. A college experience allows for engineers to become best friends with musicians and artists, medical students who learn from historians and sociologists, media professionals who speak with scientists and mathematicians, and vice versa.

It has been five years since we first introduced our academic minimum requirement that all students at St Andrew’s achieve an annual average mark of 65 or higher, with no fails. Accompanying this change was increased funding for the College’s residential life programs in academic support, pastoral care, leadership training, professional development, music and the arts, sport, and community engagement.

Since instituting this policy change and increasing the amount of support we provide for our students, our students have achieved impressive academic results while continuing to perform at a very high level in extra-curricular activities including the Rosebowl, Rawson and Palladian intercollege competitions. For the fourth semester in a row, our students’ average semester mark was over 70 across all universities. We have also found that every semester the cohort of students achieving Distinction (75-84) or High Distinction (≥85) is increasing in size. For example, in 2013 only 7% of our University of Sydney students’ marks were at a High Distinction level; in 2019 that has now doubled to 15%.

These results are a testament to our students’ determination to do well, ably supported by the College’s extensive academic program which complements a high standard of university teaching. It is a privilege to watch our students succeed and evolve into well-rounded, smart, empathetic adults who care deeply about their community and the world in which we live.

However dark things may seem in current circumstances, the future will be bright with our students leading the way.

Eloise Howse Senior Tutor

High Achievers

We extend our congratulations to the following students who have received an average mark of High Distinction or Distinction during 2019:

High Distinction Average

Dominic Albertson Adele Burke Xavier Eales Kodie Goolagong Laura Grant Titus Grenyer Kiran Gupta James Haskis Mohammed Hassan Jack Hennessy Jacqueline Henville Katie Hodder Alexander Hoskinson Ragavi Jeyakumar Juliet Lochrin Thomas Mackenzie-Wood

Distinction Average

Ben Adams William Andrews Clare Armstrong Clare Askey NicholasBaines Holly Baker Lachlan Barrett Emily Bell Thomas Bell Harrison Best Emma Bills Airlie Blackman Liam Brandwood Judith Browne Emily Brunner Alexis Bundy Chester Burns Thomas Carraro Clare Carter Evangeline Cleary Emelia Coe Emily Cooke Callum Cooke Digby Cooke Charlie Crawford Olivia Dominguez John Downes Reg Dowse Elysee Dubois Charles Dummer Elijah Eales Maxwell Eastwood Mekayla Everingham Lucy Fenwicke Nickoletta Flannery Augustine Flett Dana Free Tom Galvin Alexandra Gerrard Suzanne Glenday Jasper Gotterson Annabel Gray Julian Guinane Edmund Haines Samuel Halsted Rhiannon Hames Benjamin Hansen Elizabeth Harper Zoe Haseler Jamie Hepburn Benjamin Herlihy Elizabeth Hewish Charlotte Hines Andrew Hingston Ching Ho Beatrice Hobson Patrick Holt Thomas Hunt Clare Hunt India Jackson Rachel Jeffreson Ingrid Jones Alice Nason Poppy Philip Amey Sonawane Emma Tanevska Olivia Taylor Mia Thomas Amy White Lachlan Zhou

Christina Kirkwood Sabrina Kitson Andrew Knight Kristina Lane Cecily Larsen Zoe Latham Alice Litchfield Clarissa Luk Anna Mactier Katherine Marsh Lachlan Martin Jemima McCalman Maisie McFadyen Harriet Miesegaes Sofia Milne Katinka Morris Mia Mossenson Max Neville Kate Nicol Annie Nikolovski Claire O'Connor Caitlin O'Meara James Osborne SummerPage Zara Paleologos Lily Paterson C Poulsen Amy Preston Jack Richards Neive Roebuck Anthony Rositano Euro Ruangvanish Cooper Sachr Madeleine Satterthwaite Sophie Saunders Joshua Sechi George Shannon Chanel Singh Michael Sligo Francesca Spry Lachlan Stewart Hamish Taylor Emily Tyrrell Samuel Vail Amy Van Dongen Theodora Von Arnim Hogan Wang Gabriella Warner Cassidy Watts Alice Weller Clare Wheeler Adrian Whitehall Violet Williams Angus Williams Felix Wood Aubrey Wood Thomas Woodcock Harry Wright Shivarama Yogakumar